Editorial: Ben & Jerry’s vs Unilever

In the fight over GMO labeling, is Ben & Jerry’s parent company Unilever trying to have its cake and eat it, too? Or is it simply taking a hands-off approach to parenting?

The national discourse over whether foods containing GMOs — or genetically modified organisms — must be labeled is heating up in an unusual way. Ben & Jerry’s stands on the opposite side of the argument from Unilever, which purchased the beloved ice cream maker in 2000.

Jumping into the GMO battle

The issue of labeling foods containing GMOs is garnering increasing attention from the states, as evidenced by a recent Vermont law requiring such labeling. Ben & Jerry’s is going even further, working toward a goal of switching all its flavors to ingredients that meet fair trade, non-GMO certification criteria.

The switch is not without risk for Ben & Jerry’s. Some devoted consumers of popular flavor Heath Bar Crunch, for instance, have attacked the company online over changes to the taste of the ice cream.

But Ben & Jerry’s corporate ownership by Unilever also puts the ice cream maker in an awkward position with anti-GMO groups. They’re miffed because Unilever belongs to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which sued to stop the Vermont labeling law. The lawsuit spurred the Organic Consumers Association to call for a boycott of GMA members, including — by association — Ben & Jerry’s.

Just a few years ago, Unilever spent upwards of $450,000 to try to stop a California ballot initiative on GMO labeling. As in the Vermont case, Ben & Jerry’s came under fire from GMO opponents in California. But less than a year later, Ben & Jerry’s announced that it intended to go fully GMO-free.

Making sense of it all

What’s the bottom line in this complex saga? Ben & Jerry’s is working hard to become GMO-free. At the same time, parent company Unilever has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting GMO labeling. As consumers increasingly demand disclosure of GMOs in their food, it will be interesting to watch how this family feud plays out.